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North Cascades National Park Service ComplexDeer crossing creek, Thunder Basin
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North Cascades National Park Service Complex
Natural Features & Ecosystems
Nature and Science
Diablo Lake is nestled among the mountains at the heart of the park complex.
Steep mountains coupled with an amazing variety of rock and water features contribute to the region's tremendous biodiversity. The mountains rise steeply to 9,206ft (2,806m) at Goode Mountain and fall to valley floors as low as 400ft (122m) along the Skagit River at the Complex’s west boundary. From the park's glaciers and over 300 lakes and ponds, flow thousands of miles of rivers and streams. Several major watersheds flow from the North Cascades including those of the Skagit, Stehekin and Nooksack rivers. The Skagit River and its tributary streams comprise the largest watershed draining into Puget Sound. Variation in elevation, soil types, rainfall and exposure combine to form eight distinctive life zones from the lowland forests and wetlands to the alpine peaks and glaciers.
Did You Know?  

Did You Know?
North Cascades National Park Service Complex includes 684,000 acres near the crest of the Cascade Mountains from the Canadian border south to Lake Chelan.

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Last Updated: August 31, 2006 at 15:28 EST